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Pillars of Islam

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Pillars of Islam

The five pillars of Islam (arkan al-Islam; also arkan
al-din, “pillars of religion”) comprise five
official acts considered obligatory for all Muslims. The Quran
presents them as a framework for worship and a sign of commitment to faith. The
five pillars are the shahadah (witnessing the oneness of God and the prophethood
of
Muhammad
), regular observance of the five prescribed daily prayers (salat), paying
zakah (almsgiving), fasting (sawm; siyyam) during the month of Ramadan, and
performance of the hajj (pilgrimage during the prescribed month) at least once
in a lifetime.

The first pillar, the shahadah, consists of two
declarations. The first, “There is no god but God,”
affirms belief in a single divine reality (tawhid). The second,
“Muhammad is the messenger of God,” affirms submission to
God via acceptance of His message as revealed to humanity through Muhammad. This
declaration of faith signifies entrance of the believer into the broader
community (ummah) of Muslims and is required of converts to Islam.

The
second pillar, the five daily prayers, signifies the believer's
submission to God and serves as public, physical evidence of the
believer's adherence to Islam. Prayers are to be performed just
before dawn, at noon, in midafternoon, just after sunset, and in the evening,
between an hour after sunset and midnight. Prayers are to be made in the
direction of Mecca and must be carried out in a state of ritual purity, achieved
by either ritual ablutions or a bath. Movements during prayer imitate entrance
into the presence of a great ruler (symbolized by the raising of the hands to
the ears and proclamation of the glory and majesty of the ruler for all to
hear), bowing reverently, and then uttering the opening chapter of the
Quran, the Surat al-Fatihah. Worshipers then utter
other Quranic verses while completing the ritual bowing, which is followed by
prostration, performed on the knees with both hands on the ground and the
forehead touching between them. Worshipers repeat their glorification of God and
prostration three times. The entire cycle of prayer (rakah) is then repeated.
After every two cycles and after the third cycle in the sunset prayer, the
worshiper sits back on the heels and addresses God with a ritual prayer calling
forth God's blessings upon Muhammad. After completing all cycles of
canonical prayer, the worshiper sits back on the heels and recites the shahadah,
formally reaffirming the truth of Islam and engaging the worshiper in direct
communication with God. Private petitions are then offered. Formal blessings are
requested upon Muhammad and
Abraham
. The prayer ends with an invocation of peace. Every canonical prayer
requires between two and four rakahs. In total, seventeen rakahs are performed
daily.

The third pillar is the zakah (alms tax), typically paid to a
religious official or representative of the Islamic state or to a representative
of a local mosque. This amount is traditionally set at one-fortieth,
or 2.5 percent, of the value of all liquid assets and
income-generating properties owned by the believer. It is used to
feed the poor, encourage conversion to Islam, ransom captives, help travelers,
support those devoting themselves to God's work, relieve debtors,
defend the faith, and any other purpose deemed appropriate. The zakah serves as
a reminder of one's broader social responsibilities to the
community.

The fourth pillar is observation of the monthlong fast (sawm)
of Ramadan (the ninth month of the lunar Islamic calendar), from sunrise to
sunset. The believer is supposed to abstain from food, drink, and sexual
activity during the daylight hours, demonstrating affirmation of ethical
awareness and serving as a purifying act of sacrifice of one's bodily
desires for the sake of God. The direct experience of pain and hunger over a
prolonged period of time reminds the believer of the pain and hunger experienced
by the poor.

The fifth pillar is the pilgrimage to Mecca during the first
ten days of the month of Dhu al-Hijjah. Every Muslim who is
physically and financially capable of making the trip and performing the
prescribed rites is required to make the hajj. The nine essential rites of the
hajj are the putting on of the ihram (unsewn cloth symbolizing the humility and
equality of all believers), circumambulation of the Kaaba, standing at the plain
of Arafat, spending the night at Muzdalifa, throwing stones at three symbols of
Satan, sacrifice of an animal at Mina, repetition of the circumambulation of the
Kaaba, drinking of water from the well of Zamzam, and performance of two cycles
of prayer at the Station of Abraham. The hajj can be considered complete without
performing all of the required rites, but the pilgrim must pay expiation for the
failure to complete them. During the hajj, the pilgrim is to avoid thinking
about anything but the remembrance of God and the rites of pilgrimage, since the
circumambulation of the Kaaba, like canonical prayer, symbolizes the
believer's entrance into the divine presence.

Both Sunnis and
Shiis agree on the essential details for carrying out the five pillars. In
popular Sufi piety, the five pillars were personally internalized as acts of
devotion and spiritual exercises. The shahadah became a constant recollection
(dhikr) of God and the obligatory prayers became a life of continuous prayer and
meditation.